Crew seating arrangement

Flight

The launch was originally set for August
05, 1995 but postponed indefinitely to allow further review of solid rocket
motor nozzle joint hardware from two previous missions,
STS-70 and
STS-71. Inspection team formed to assess
significance of gas path in nozzle internal joint number 3, extending from
insulation in the motor chamber to, but not past, primary O-ring, and resulting
in slight heat effect to primary O-ring seal. Team concluded nozzle joint
design was sound and that gas paths were being created when insulation
material, known as RTV or Room Temperature Vulcanizing, was applied. Small air
pockets were forming in thermal insulation that could later become pathways for
hot gas during motor operation.Attention then focused on developing
procedures to allow Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) inspection of insulation
material on specific joints as well as testing repair techniques. Repairs were
completed on
STS-69 nozzle joint insulation at the pad and new
launch date of August 31, 1995 set. Nozzle joint insulation on boosters
assigned to Missions STS-73 and
STS-74 also repaired at
KSC, but
work did not impact schedule. August 31, 1995 launch try was scrubbed about
five and a half hours before liftoff due to failure of one of orbiter's three
fuel cells. Fuel cell No. 2 indicated higher than allowable temperatures during
activation as countdown proceeded. The fuel cell was removed and
replaced.

The fifth Space Shuttle flight of 1995 was highlighted by the
deployment and retrieval of two scientific spacecraft and a spacewalk to
practice for Space Station activities and evaluate space suit design
modifications. The
STS-69 mission marked the second flight of the Wake
Shield Facility-2 (WSF-2), a 12-foot (3.66 meters) diameter,
stainless steel disk which was deployed and retrieved using the Shuttle robot
arm. While the
WSF flew free of the Shuttle, it generated an
"ultra-vacuum" environment in space within which to grow thin semiconductor
films for next-generation advanced electronics. The commercial applications for
these new semiconductors include digital cellular telephones, high-speed
transistors and processors, fiber optics, opto-electronics and high-definition
television. The SPARTAN 201 free-flyer was making its third flight
aboard the Shuttle. The
SPARTAN 201 mission was a scientific research effort
aimed at the investigation of the interaction between the Sun and its
outflowing wind of charged particles.
SPARTAN goal was to study the outer atmosphere of the
Sun and its transition into the solar wind that constantly flows past the
Earth.Two astronauts left Endeavour's crew cabin for about six hours to
perform several tasks that will broaden
NASA's experience base for building and maintaining
the Space Station and for other future spacewalks. The astronauts performed a
number of tasks designed to evaluate and verify specific assembly and
maintenance tasks for the Space Station. The spacewalk also evaluated spacesuit
design modifications to protect spacewalkers from the extremely cold space
environment.

STS-69 also was the second flight of a "dog crew", a
flight crew tradition that began on STS-53, on which both David
Walker and James
Voss
flew. As the "Dog Crew II", each
STS-69 astronaut adopted a dogtag or nickname: David
Walker was Red Dog; Kenneth
Cockrell was Cujo; James
Voss,
Dog Face; James
Newman, Pluto, and Michael
Gernhardt, Under Dog. A special "Dog Crew II" patch was
designed.

The SPARTAN 201-03 mission was a scientific research
effort aimed at the investigation of the interaction between the Sun and its
outflowing wind of charged particles.
SPARTAN's goal was to study the outer atmosphere of
the Sun and its transition into the solar wind that constantly flows past the
Earth. The mission involved the deployment and operation of the free-flying
SPARTAN spacecraft from Space Shuttle Endeavour.
This mission - the third for
SPARTAN - was intended to coincide with the passage of
the Ulysses spacecraft over the Sun's north polar region. As the Ulysses
spacecraft passed high over the north pole of the Sun, its instruments were
sampling the physical properties of electrons, protons, and ions in the solar
wind flowing past the spacecraft. These properties included variations of
temperature, density, ionic composition, and magnetic and velocity fields. At
the same time, intensive collaborative observations of the source of the solar
wind at the Sun were planned, including
SPARTAN 201-03 and a variety of other ground and
space-based experiments.The primary objective of the
SPARTAN 201-03 mission was to understand the physical
circumstances of the corona at the Sun during the time of the Ulysses north
polar passage. It had been suspected for about 20 years that the polar regions
of the Sun were sources for high speed solar wind streams. This hypothesis was
finally confirmed by measurements made by the Ulysses spacecraft during the
south polar passage in September 1994.The
SPARTAN solar viewing instruments were used to define
conditions at the base of the heliosphere where the solar wind has its origins.
The great mysteries yet to be solved are what process accelerates the solar
wind and, still more basic, why the corona is so much hotter than the
underlying layers of the Sun.After the
SPARTAN was deployed by the Shuttle with
RMS operated by Michael
Gernhardt, the spacecraft operated on its own for 43 hours,
achieving a maximum distance of 70 to 100 nautical miles (129 to 185 km) from
the Shuttle at mid-mission.After its independent operation,
SPARTAN was placed into a safe-hold condition, and was
recovered and placed into the Shuttle cargo bay. As the orbiter approached
free-flying spacecraft, it was rotating slowly and located in a different
attitude than expected for retrieval. David
Walker had to maneuver Endeavour around
SPARTAN and Michael
Gernhardt was able to grapple it with the
RMS.

The Wake Shield Facility (WSF) was a 12-foot (3.66 meters) diameter,
stainless steel disk designed to generate an "ultravacuum" environment in space
within which to grow thin films for next generation advanced
electronics.The principle objectives of the
WSF-2 mission included: performance of
WSF as a free-flyer far enough away from the Orbiter
to achieve and characterize for the first time an uncontaminated "ultra-vacuum"
in low-Earth orbit; and, demonstrate the feasibility of epitaxial growth of
high quality compound semiconductor thin films and heterostructures required
for future advanced electronic and optoelectronic devices as part of the
four-flight
WSF proof-of-concept program.The first flight of
the
WSF-1 occurred aboard Discovery on
STS-60 in February of 1994. Because of
difficulties in attitude control, experiments were performed only while
WSF-1 was attached to the Shuttle's robot arm.
Although the results of
WSF-1 did demonstrate wake formation and thin film
growth, water vapor contamination from the Shuttle interfered with the
achievement of "ultra vacuum" necessary for achieving the growth of
semi-conductor materials superior to those that can be grown on Earth.

As a free-flying platform, the
WSF's wake side - the "ultra-clean side" - was used on
this mission primarily for ultra-pure thin-film growth. The ram side - the
"dirty side" - housed the avionics platform and also was used to accommodate
other experiments and space technology applications. The ram side had more than
65 square feet (6 square meters) of usable surface in the form of the outer
shield, which will support other space payloads. The Wake Shield Facility (WSF) looked like a saucer shaped satellite.The
WSF hardware consisted of the Shuttle Cross Bay
Carrier mounting equipment and the Free Flyer. The Carrier remained in the
Shuttle and had a latch system which held the Free Flyer to it. The Shuttle's
robot arm was used to remove the Free Flyer from the Carrier and deploy it into
space. The
WSF followed behind the Shuttle at a station-keeping
distance of 30 nautical miles (55 km). The Free Flyer was a fully-equipped
spacecraft on its own, with cold gas propulsion for separation from the Shuttle
and a momentum bias attitude control system. Sixty kilowatt-hours of energy,
stored in silver-zinc batteries, power the thin-film growth furnaces, substrate
heaters, process controllers, and a sophisticated array of vacuum
characterization devices, including mass spectrometers and total pressure
gauges. Weighing approximately 8,100 pounds (3,674 kg) altogether, (the Free
Flyer itself is 4,350 pounds = 1,973 kg), the
WSF occupied one quarter of the Shuttle payload bay.
Process control equipment and vacuum characterization equipment were located on
the back (wake side) of the free flyer, while the controller electronics,
attitude control system, batteries and support equipment were located on the
front (ram side). The
WSF radio frequency communications system routed
telemetry and commands, including video, from the Cross Bay Carrier, through
the Shuttle systems to both
WSF ground personnel and the flight crew.

On
Flight Day 4, the
WSF was grappled by the Shuttle arm with James
Newman at the controls and removed from the Cross-Bay
Carrier. The
WSF was positioned by the arm to be scoured by the
highly reactive atomic oxygen found in LEO, and by the Sun's heat. The cleaning
lasted several hours. Some systems tests were run during this cleaning cycle,
such as communications checks between the Carrier and the Free Flyer, checks of
the Free Flyer batteries, and activation of the primary video camera on the
wake side of the Free Flyer.After the cleaning was done, the arm moved the
WSF to the release position near the center of the
payload bay. The Free Flyer separated from the arm and moved under its own
nitrogen gas thrusters to about 30 nautical miles (55 km) behind the Shuttle to
isolate it from Shuttle contamination sources (such as water dumps, fuel cell
purges and engine firings).On Flight Day 7, the Shuttle rendezvoused with
the Free Flyer. Every member of the
STS-69 crew had a vital role to play during the
WSF rendezvous and capture, and the integral plume
experiment. During approach, David
Walker and Kenneth
Cockrell flew Endeavor in a complex series of maneuvers
designed to expose the
WSF to carefully controlled thruster exhaust plumes.
James Newman and Michael
Gernhardt coordinated the plume experiment initiation and
data acquisition, and James
Voss
tracked the
WSF position by video. After the astronauts recaptured
the
WSF, it stayed on the Shuttle arm above the payload
bay during the astronaut sleep period for extended
WSF environmental measurements.On Flight Day 8,
the CHAWS experiment was performed. The astronauts positioned the
WSF to the point above the overhead windows and
maneuvered it to gather plasma flow data around the
WSF. The Auroral Photography Experiment B camera was
used in support of the plasma flow studies to view the Shuttle glow phenomenon
on the CHAWS plasma probe from the Shuttle's aft flight deck windows. Plasma
flow data were acquired for two full orbits after which the
WSF was re-stowed for return to Earth.

The
only EVA in this mission was performed by James
Voss
and Michael
Gernhardt on September 16, 1995 (6h 46m) to test assembly
techniques for the
ISS (EVA Development Flight Test -
EDFT-2). The extravehicular activity supported four
different Detailed Test Objectives (DTOs).DTO 833 was designed to evaluate
spacesuit design modifications to protect spacewalkers from the extremely cold
space environment and their ability to perform in such conditions. At the start
of the EVA, one of the crewmembers installed two thermal
cubes in the payload bay to collect temperature data on the space environment.
One cube was mounted on the end of the Shuttle's robot arm, and the other cube
was mounted at the task board worksite. As another part of the test,
engineers collected temperature data within the spacesuit throughout the entire
spacewalk. Temperature data also was collected on modified crew garments which
are designed to bypass the present Liquid Cooling Ventilation Garment.DTO
671 consisted of a number of tasks designed to evaluate and verify specific
assembly and maintenance tasks for the Space Station. Each of the two
EVA
astronauts spent about an hour performing a variety of tasks at a board mounted
on the starboard side of the payload bay. The tasks included working with
handrails, fasteners and connectors while the spacewalker was both
free-floating and positioned in a fixed foot restraint. The amount of time and
effort required for specific tasks also was assessed during this
time.Throughout the
EVA,
any specific instructions the crew member may need were displayed on an
Electronic Cuff Checklist, which represents DTO 672. The checklist, which has
been tested on two previous missions, was being flown to demonstrate its
on-orbit use and to gain the experience necessary to move toward operational
use. Comments from the crewmembers on all of the tests were evaluated as part
of DTO 1210, which will help ground crews improve
EVA
operations.

STS-69 saw the first flight of the International
Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker (IEH-1), the first of five planned flights
to measure and monitor long-term variations in the magnitude of absolute
extreme ultraviolet (EUV) flux coming from the Sun, and to study EUV emissions
from the plasma torus system around Jupiter originating from its moon Io.
The EUV spectrum contains very short wavelength light that does not
penetrate the Earth's atmosphere. Because these wavelengths are blocked by the
atmosphere, scientists must use instruments above the atmosphere to study this
portion of the solar flux. Useful models of the Earth's atmosphere (or any
other planetary atmosphere) require accurate knowledge of the sun's absolute
EUV irradiance. It is widely recognized in the scientific community that more
accurate long-term solar measurements of this type are urgently needed, given
that the solar spectrum changes from day to day, from one solar rotation to the
next, and it changes even more dramatically over the 11-year solar
cycle.

Consortium for Materials Development in Space Complex
Autonomous Payload (CONCAP IV-03) was the third flight of an experiment
that studies the growth of organic nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals and thin
films. The materials being used were of great interest because they can be used
in the photonics industry. Photonics is the use of laser light instead of
electrons through wires to send bits of information. The advantage of photonics
is the elimination of mechanical components, switches, and wear items, and the
increased speed of information transferal that lasers offer.A total of two
crystals and 45 thin films were grown. It is anticipated that the lack of
gravity will achieve two goals: it will avoid convection, leading to crystals
with more uniform composition; and it will avoid the deformation of the
crystals under their own weight "sagging" at the relatively high growth
temperatures where they are extremely soft.Nonlinear optical crystals have
two important properties: frequency doubling and the pockets effect. When a
laser beam passes through the crystal it comes out with twice the frequency of
the original beam, a phenomenon known as "frequency doubling". Frequency
doubling is important because it doubles the range of frequencies available for
laser applications. Currently, lasers only operate at a limited number of
frequencies with some very important frequencies missing for scientific and
commercial applications. When an electric field is applied to some NLO
materials, the index of refraction of the material changes, a phenomenon known
as the "pockets effect". When the index of refraction changes, so does the path
of light traveling through the crystal. The pockets effect allows a crystal to
act as a high speed switch.

The Shuttle GLO Experiment (GLO-3)
experiment originated as the "Shuttle Glow" experiment sponsored by the
USAF/Phillips Laboratory. It also is referred to as
the Arizona Airglow Experiment. The nature of the instrument makes it ideal for
studies of Earth's thermosphere. Consequently, it became a joint program with
NASA's Space Physics Division of the Office of Space
Science.Scientists continue to investigate the mysterious shroud of
luminosity, called the "glow phenomenon", observed by astronauts on past
Shuttle missions. Theory suggests that the glow may be due to atmospheric
gasses on the windward or ram side surface of the Space Shuttle colliding and
interacting with gaseous engine effluents and contaminate outgassing molecules.
The glow intensity is weak, decreases with altitude and requires some special
conditions for good detection - both the Sun and Moon must be below the
horizon, for example, so the spatial extent of the glow will be mapped
precisely (0.1 degrees). The effects of ambient magnetic field, orbit altitude,
mission elapsed time, Shuttle thruster firings, and surface composition on the
intensity and spectrum of the glow also will be measured. An optical emission
model will then be developed from the data.

Another payload was a
connection to the development of the Space Station is the Electrolysis
Performance Improvement Concept Study (EPICS). The EPICS experiment
examined the effects of microgravity on electrolyte distribution in the SFE
electrolyte retention matrix. This was accomplished by determining performance
characteristics of electrode/matrix assemblies having different matrix
thicknesses and electrode pore sizes, and operating at varying current
densities. In one-G SFE operation, gravity produces an electrolyte distribution
gradient and an electrolyte density gradient in the cell core. Such gradients
result from the relative effects of gravity and capillary forces acting on the
electrolyte solution within the cell core matrix. If a more uniform electrolyte
distribution were to occur in microgravity, then a more efficient electrolysis
process could result. Comparison of flight and ground test data collected under
the same operating conditions will enable designers to determine if, and by how
much, efficiency is enhanced in microgravity. This understanding can then be
applied to the development of improved SFE designs.

Other payloads
aboard were the National Institutes of Health- Cells-4 (NIH-C4)
experiment that investigates bone loss during space flight; the Biological
Research in Canister-6 (BRIC-6) that studied the gravity-sensing mechanism
within mammalian cells. Also flying are two commercial experiments. (CMIX-4)
objectives included analysis of cell change in microgravity along with studies
of neuro-muscular development disorders and the Commercial Generic
Bioprocessing Apparatus-7 (CGBA-7). CGBA was a secondary payload that serves as
an incubator and data collection point for experiments in pharmaceuticals
testing and biomedicine, bioprocessing and biotechnology, agriculture and the
environment.

The Thermal Energy Storage (TES-2) experiment also
is part of the CAPL-2/GBA-6. The TES-2 payload is designed to provide data for
understanding the long-duration behavior of thermal energy storage fluoride
salts that undergo repeated melting and freezing in microgravity. The TES-2
payload is designed to study the microgravity behavior of voids in lithium
fluoridecalcium fluoride eutectic, a thermal energy storage salt. Data
from this experiment will validate a computer code called TESSIM, useful for
the analysis of heat receivers in advanced solar dynamic power system
designs.